Empty Songs
by Fritter Critter
Summary: It was nothing. Really, it was! I mean, come on, the best Invader in the universe listen to MUSIC! Ha! Don't make me laugh! ...But he was. And he was enjoying it. [Rated T for very mild cussing. ZimXOC]


**A/N: Hey dare, readers! *waves* **

**So...I haven't posted in a while, and I really need to, so this is the story that I shall post. It's a songfic, with the song "Let her Go" by Passengers. Yeah. Cool, huh?**

**I_ might _update this. _Might. _It depends. If you guys really want it, I might as well, but if you guys hate it, there is no point. So...yus. And, I'll probably be doing a halloween IZ fic later on this week! If you guys want it, the secret password is at the bottom.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own IZ, the song, or my refrigerator. O.O But I do own Scren! ^^ **

**So...read on, slave humans! :D**

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**_Well you only need the light when its burning low,  
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow,  
Only know you love her when you let her go... _**

It wasn't anything.

Really, it wasn't! I mean, come on, the best Invader in the universe? Listening to MUSIC?! Ha, don't make me laugh!

But he was. And he was enjoying it.

**_...Only know you've been high when you're feeling low,  
Only hate the road when you're missing home,  
Only know you love her when you let her go,  
And you let her go... _**

He couldn't be more ashamed of himself. This was human music, music that was supposed to have no meaning. It was stoopid, stoopid enough to be one of the things the Invader would never have never thought about! He wouldn't have even considered it!

It had been only two weeks ago when this obsession had started. He was particularly depressed because of his current predicament. He had recieved a...disturbing message from his Tallest. One that he had wished he would have just ignored.

They had told him everything. Everything from his defective robot to his ex-invader status.

And it had crushed him.

**_...Staring at the bottom of your glass,  
Hoping one day you'll make a dream last,  
But dreams come slow and they go so fast... _**

He couldn't take it. At first he thought they were just kidding. But he soon found that none of his calls were able to get through to the Massive, and most of his base had shut down. His Voot Cruiser had been destroyed.

The truth sank in.

His mission was a lie. No, his life was a lie. His robot was basically broken. His tech was old and out dated. He was uneeded. He was unwanted. He was a defective.

But worst of all, he had failed. Failed to serve his Tallest.

He truly was broken. Torn. He had even refused to say his name anymore. He couldn't go one day of his "Skool"(filthy humans, they can't even spell...) without having a complete breakdown and have to run to the bathroom and cry. It was pitiful. Really. And he was sure a...certain...human would take this to his advantage, probably go to his house and start to take pictures of "evidence" to show to everyone and get the alien Invader dissected-

Oh. Wait. That's right. No "planetary invasion" going on anymore. No reason to stay enemies with the Dib-filth.

People kept whispering about him in class, sometimes throwing paper balls or airplanes at him, then laughing maniacally. The Dib would yell at him about how he is totally an alien, and how he'd get everyone to believe him. Then the laughs and paper projectiles would be directed towards him instead.

The Invader would just sigh and lay his head down on his desk. This was his routine. There was no way to return to his home planet, even though he probably wouldn't want to. And he was just fine with the mocking laughter and annoying comments. It was much better than what his Tallest had said to him...so he would have to just live through his misery.

**_...You see her when you close your eyes,  
Maybe one day you'll understand why,  
Everything you touch surely dies... _**

But he couldn't help but overhear the long and dreary notes float out of the band room as he walked past it in the Skool hallways, just as he sulked off to his next class. The...pleasant, if he was to be truthfully honest with himself, melody droned out of the band room and melted onto his antennae only seconds after he had passed it. He remembered screeching to a stop, making a bunch of startled students trip head over heels and skid across the hallway, but he dissmissed their screams and curses. What was...that?

He slowly crept closer to the band door, holding his head up and perking up his anntennae under his black wig.

"No! Scren, those aren't the notes!" The gruffly voice of the band teacher said, sounding angry. "If you want to get anywhere in band, get your head out of the ground and play the Trombone with the right notes!"

The Invader had thought it was a fine little tune that she had played, but obviously the band teacher didn't agree.

A small growl came from the said student, Scren, who replayed the notes in a bit of a different tone, which he had to agree, sounded a "bit" better...

"...Fine. Go to your next class, and don't be late!"

The Invader quickly scuffled back, suddenly deciding to speed off before his spying would be noticed. He ducked into his room just before Scren opened the door.

**_...But you only need the light when its burning low,  
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow,  
Only know you love her when you let her go... _**

Ever since that day, he began stopping by the band room more. Soon, he started listening to what humans call Radios, tapping along to the top hits and humming to his favorites. He never expected it to be such an...obsession. Everywhere he went, he found that life would be much better if it had some music to play along with it. He started noticing tiny little things he had never cared to notice before, like like the smell of blooming flowers in the spring or how the sun peaks through the falling, multi colored leaves and makes one if the prettiest mosaics. How every snowflake had it's own unique pattern. How the water sparkles with ripples when something breaks he surface.

All of the tiny little things that he hadn't cared to enjoy on the planet were coming to life before his eyes. He could taste a coming rainstorm, hear the leaves of trees whispering to him in the wind. He savored those tiny little things that meant almost everything to him now.

He bought himself an Ipod and headphones, taking them almost everywhere. He loved the music, no matter how human it was! Love songs and popular rock were his main favorites, but he also loved all of the others. He began memorizing artists, playing the songs in his head over and over.

**_...Only know you've been high when you're feeling low,  
Only hate the road when you're missing home,  
Only know you love her when you let her go... _**

He truly couldn't get over it. It made him feel like he was one with the world around him. Like other people, Irken or not, knew what it felt like to be mistreated and unwanted. It felt...fantastic! He wanted more of that.

And that's when things started happen.

He was just sitting in class, listening to his music as the teacher ranted on about some kind of Japanese noodle dish, when suddenly his hand began tracing across the notebook paper in front of him. The pencil just went across, slowly making soft lines across the paper that made a picture. He didn't know what he was doing. His hand just moved to the beat of the song he was listening to, "Fix You," by Coldplay. Once he stopped moving, the picture resembled a small wolf playing with a butterfly.

The Invader tilted his head, looking at it. He...made...that?

He didn't know he could do that...

**_...Staring at the ceiling in the dark,  
Same old empty feeling in your heart,  
Cause love comes slow and it goes so fast... _**

And so, new habits formed themselves, like reading fantasy/sci-fi novels, making up his own stories in his head, sometimes writing out his stories, and sketching out the things he saw. Music was now an essential part of his life, and he'd listen to it anytime, anywhere. In the rain, in the sun, in the snow, at a museum, at Skool, when day dreaming, when reading, when walking, when ignoring Dib's rants, when watching his robot; Gir...

Yes. He was obsessed. His squeedilyspooch just gave a little jump when he heard it, pumping adrenaline into his veins like he had never felt before. He didn't really give a flirk about the Tallest or his mission anymore. His mind was always replaying songs, reminding him of what mattered most. Reminding him of the fact that he wasn't alone. Reminding him that no matter what, it was possible to get back up again.

He was humming to the song "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons today, walking through the hall with a little skip in his step. He was excited for the day, especially since this was his last final before Skool was out for the summer. He skipped past the band room, not really watching where he was going. But who was? This was the last week of Skool!

**_...Well you see her when you fall asleep,  
But never to touch and never to keep,  
Cause you loved her too much and you dived too deep... _**

**OOMPF!**

The Invader tumbled down to the ground, suddenly ramming into someone. He looked up.

"Well, well, well...if it isn't the green twerp!" A tall, spikey red haired human stood in front of him. Earrings, biker gloves, black, sleeveless jacket. Dark green eyes. This stoopid smirk that was plastered on his face all of the time.

The Invader groaned. Happy. A bully that hated him, Dib, and pretty much every other kid on the Skool grounds. Meanest, toughest kid known to man.

Oh, how the Invader has always wanted to punch him. He wanted him dead. He almost hated him as much as he hated Dib. Happy was a transfer student that came in only days after his unfortanate revalation with his Tallest, and only seconds after seeing the Invader in all of his misery, decided that he was going to plant even more misery upon him. It's almost like he craved the Invader's misery.

He hated it. Oh how he hated it. He wanted to crush the stoopid Happy-stink like the filthy human he was, he wanted to dissect him, to torture him, to throw his rotten carcass out on a porch in the rain and let it decompose and become one with the filth it had always been. He wanted him to rot in Hades. He wanted it SOOOOOOOOOOO badly.

"You ready for your daily beating, punk?" He shoved the Invader against the lockers, making him whimper in protest. Happy grinned maliciously. "Your so stupid! You haven't said anything to me since I got here! I bet your so stupid, you don't even know how to talk!" Happy pinned the Invader's wrists back, bending them to an angle that no wrist should be bent to. The Invader squealed in pain, hissing as he heard a loud crack from them.

Happy's face lit up with a sadistic grin. His knee rammed into the Invader's chest, knocking the air out of him.

The Invader's head shifted from side to side frantically. The hallways were empty. Everyone had gone to class already. The Invader was in such deep dookie it wasn't even funny. He gulped, wishing that anyone, even the Dib-smell, would come and help him. But everyone else. had already gone to class.

Happy drove his foot down onto the Invader's, twisting it to an almost 180 degree angle. "I'm going to make you hurt so bad, you-"

"YO, BASTARD!"

**_...Well you only need the light when its burning low,  
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow,  
Only know you love her when you let her go... _**

Scren, the seventh grader from before in the band room, was glaring at Happy with an annoyed expression written across her face. "What the bloody hell are you doing, gaywad? Trying to rape him or something?"

"...I-I-II..." That's all Happy could get out. He had NEVER been called a gaywad. EVER. No one would dare!

"Who the fuck do you think you are? Get the crap off the poor kid!" Scren stomped right up to Happy and shoved him, making him scramble to the ground. The Invader could finally breathe, slowly sinking to the ground.

"SCRAM, weirdo!" Scren gave Happy a warning kick to the shin, making him leap off the ground and run down the hall as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Th...th..." The Invader could barely form words. She JUST did that for him.

Scren's attention was suddenly turned to him. She gasped, running over to the Invader. "Holy carp, are you okay?!"

The Invader saw black and white spots dance across his eyes. He didn't know. He couldn't even remember what class he was originally supposed to be going to.

Scren immedeatly had him in her arms, running straight for the nurse's office. She didn't even ask about the green skin like most kids did. All she was concerned with was the fact that someone was in danger.

**_ ...Only know you've been high when you're feeling low,  
Only hate the road when you're missing home,  
Only know you love her when you let her go,  
And you let her go,  
And you let her go,  
Well you let her go... _**

So that was how their friendship began. From anonymous influence to savior, Scren had quickly become a friend to the Invader, even though they rarely talked, keeping at his side at all times.

"So...what's your name?" She had asked, only two days after the incident. They were in lunch, and she was helping the Invader eat his Irken sandwich(which she obviously didn't know came from alien orgin) because Happy had appearantly broken his wrists. The Invader was not amused by the smirks and snickers coming from Dib and the other humans around him. Growling, he didn't quite respond at first. He instead coughed, making the humans go quiet.

The Invader didn't really want to tell her. There was no point. He really didn't need a title until now, did he? The only time his name was really ever used was when he Dib-human did-

"HEY! DON'T ASSOCIATE WITH ZIM! HE'S AN ALIEN!"

...that. All heads turned except for the said alien, who sighed and buried his head in his hands, running the claws through his fake black wig.

Dib stood ontop of the table, glaring at Zim with hatred pulsing from him. "He's here to take over earth! He'll destroy us all!"

Some people just sighed, turning around and mumbling something about Dib's head being big. Some shot spit balls at him. Others stared at him like he was insane.

Besides Zim's skin being green, no nose, no ears, only three fingers that were pointed into claws, and his Pak, he looked completely normal with his disguise. He could pass his oddities as a skin condition and everyone would be fine. But the Dib...well, he had other ideas.

"You have to SEE this! Come on!" Dib shouted. "Just LOOK at him!" Somebody shot a large spit ball into Dib's eye, making him yelp and fall off the table. Everyone in the lunchroom laughed at the child's misery before returning to their lunches as if nothing had happened.

Zim looked to see Scren holding up a straw and a small pile of napkin ball projectiles. She grinned, winking at him.

Zim smiled a bit, wishing he could high five the human. Maybe humans weren't that bad after all...

**_...Cause you only need the light when its burning low,  
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow,  
Only know you love her when you let her go... _**

Zim stayed in touch over he next week with his newest friend. He listened to music with her, drew sketches with her, read books with her, and wrote short stories with her. He began to actually find that he _liked_ hanging out with her.

When he was first invited to her house, Zim found out Scren actually played six instruments: the trombone, harp, viola, piano, saxaphone, and French horn. He listened to her play all of them, sometimes even staying over to eat dinner with her. He loved the sound of them. The sound of those instruments tickled his antennae, making him feel all warm and soft inside.

He juggled his responsibilities between Dib's craziness, Scren, and Gir. Music played to the background of it all, making his summer sound like a beautiful orchestra.

His wrists slowly healed, to the point where he could actually hold hands again. So he did this, holding hands with Scren as she walked him home to his own house each day. When she first saw his insane looking house, she laughed. Zim loved her laugh. It sounded like bells ringing through his head.

"What, you do not like the almighty ZIM's house?!" That was another thing he started doing again. Talking in third person, like he was actually important. Scren had convinced him to start doing it again. Thanks to her, Zim was beginning to tilt his head up higher, march around like it was the only thing he know how to do. He was acting much more like his normal self. He didn't even have time to think about the Tallest, or his "mission", or even his own race. He was fine with it all. He had Scren. He had Dib and his stupid rants. He had his insane robot. He had his sarcastic computer system. He had music.

He didn't really need much else.

**_...Only know you've been high when you're feeling low,  
Only hate the road when you're missing home,  
Only know you love her when you let her go... _**

But it all got out of hand very, very quickly.

It was that day. The 25th of June, if Zim recalled by human calenders. He had just returned home from listening to Scren practice, and was completely soaked, the water sizzling to a burning steam from the thunderstorm. He had forgotton to put on paste this morning, which was pretty much the only thing that kept his skin from burning up by the liquid substance humans called water. Water was like acid to Zim, which was why he hated thunderstorms so much. Yeah...he ran like heck those 13 blocks between his and Scren's house.

"Flirking...agh..." Zim said, plopping himself down onto the couch. He took off his wig and eye contacts, feeling much better without the disguise on. His solid maroon eyes and lighter spots that sparkled it stood out against the green and purple walls. Zim was exhausted, his whole body ached, and the last thing he needed was-

"HIYA MASTA!"

Gir's squeaky voice rang out from the kitchen. Zim let out a groan, leaning over to peak into the kitchen. I swear, his jaw dropped all the way to the floor.

Gir stood in his doggy costume, waving his black paw and sticking out his tounge cutely. Behind him? The largest, most horrific dough snow man Zim had ever seen.

"Do ya like mah present for yous? I MADE HIM MAHSELF!"

Zim bit his lip. THAT was going to be a lot to clean up. "Ah...it's...very nice...Gir..."

"YAYZ! IZ SO GLAD I MADE YOUS SO HAPPY!" Gir ran towards Zim and jumped ontop of his head, chewing on one of Zim's antennae. Zim hissed in slight pain.

"...That's great, but could you stop-"

"ZIM!"

Suddenly, without warning, Dib bursted out of the dough-man(yes, I just did that. XD), flying into Zim. Zim gasped, getting flipped off the couch and rammed into the wall.

Dib recovered quickly, getting up and glaring at Zim. "What's your evil scheme, Zim?! What have you been planning?!"

"Wha...? DIB-STINK?!" Zim was barely able to get up before Dib shoved him back against the wall.

"Why are you playing around like this?! What are you doing to Scren? Why aren't you doing ANYTHING?!" Dib's onslaught of questions were mercilessly poured onto Zim like a cauldron of hot lava, overwhelming the little Invader.

"GET OFF OF ZIM!"

"NO!"

"DO IT, DIB-FILTH, OR SO HELP ZIM HE WILL TAKE YOUR ORGANS AND TURN THEM INSIDE OUT!"

"AS IF, SPACEBOY! I'LL DISSECT YOU ANY DAY!"

"FILTHY MEAT MONKEY!"

"JERK!"

Both of them had wrestled each other to the ground, their old rivalry sparking adrenaline to rush through their bodies. Gir sat on the couch, eating a waffle he had randomly pulled out of his head. "Big headed Mary and Masta are such good friends..." He mused, taking another bite of his waffle as he watched the two roll around on the floor. Lightning struck through the sky, making the lights flicker for a moment.

SLAM!

Both boys stopped, snapping their heads around to see a drenched Scren holding a purple toy monkey out. "Hey Zim, you dropped thi-"

She stopped. Her eyes grew wide. "Z-Zim...?"

Zim suddenly noticed that he wasn't in his disguise. He sheepishly gave her a small smile. "Urm...surprise...Scren-human...?"

Scren just sat there, jaw hung open wide. Gir walked over to Scren. "Hi dare, lady! Thank yous for bringing mah munkeh back!" He stuck out his tounge, taking his waffle and monkey and jumping down into the trash can over in the corner.

Dib got up, brushing himself off. "Um, this isn't what it looks-" And then Dib noticed Zim not being in his disguise, also. "OOH! YEAH! YOU SEE IT!"

Scren blinked. Zim got up and kicked Dib in the shin. Dib didn't seem to notice. "YOU SEE HIM! OHMYGOSH, YOUSEEHIM! I HAVE A WITNESS! YES!"

Scren slowly walked towards Zim. Dib began freaking out to the side, so excited he began rolling around the floor like the poor would in money.

Scren raised a hand. Zim winced, closing his eyes.

...but no hand was laid against him. Zim opened his eyes just in time to have Scren kiss him.

**__****_ ...Cause you only need the light when its burning low,  
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow,  
Only know you love her when you let her go... _**

It was small, soft, and just as warm as any of the music that Scren played. It sent a tingle through his entire body. All of those soft love songs by Owlcity began replaying in his head, and he closed his eyes once again.

Scren departed her lips from his. "It looks like your busy right now, Zimmy. Call me later, Kay?"

Dib had stopped rolling around and laughing insanely. He instead was staring at Scren, eyes wide with shock.

Scren skipped out of the house, openning up her umbrella and beginning her walk back to the house. "Wait! SCREN! WHAT ABOUT THE ALIEN?!" Dib raced out of the house, trying to catch up to her.

The rain pattered on the outside of the house. The door creaked close, and Zim slowly sank down by it, Scren's kiss still warm on his lips.

Gir launched himself out of the trash can, starting to eat the dough-man he had made. Zim let out a soft sigh, his eyes sparkling.

"Was...was that a kiss?" Zim asked, breathless.

Gir didn't know. All he knew was that dough-man tasted pretty flirkin' good.

**_...Only know you've been high when you're feeling low,  
Only hate the road when you're missing home,  
Only know you love her when you let her go,  
And you let her go... _**

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**A/N: So...was it good? I don't really think it was, but it's your call. I might do more chapters based on this plot...they probably won't have the song in them, but I might do different songs you'd like. If you guys want more, the secret password for the reviews is...**

**JELLYBLOB.**

**Place that in your review so that I know you like it and you want more! It will change when I update, so I'll keep you guys posted with it, okay?**

**R&R, and all flames will be used to toast marshmallows! :3**


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